Why would nine burglars pile into a stolen car, crawl out of the trunk at 3:30 a.m., and smash their way into a vape shop?
It’s a fair question, and one law enforcement is starting to ask more often.
When police in Fauquier County, Virginia, released this footage of nine suspects pouring out of a stolen vehicle and breaking into Accolades Vape & Tobacco on Lee Highway, it raised a bigger issue:
What makes a vape shop lucrative enough to draw an entire crew?
The uncomfortable answer:
Illicit vapes have become a high-ROI commodity in the shadow economy.
With millions of illegal, Chinese-made disposable vapes flooding the U.S. market, many cheaper, stronger, and impossible to trace, crews treat them like any other black-market product. Grab a bulk load, flip them fast, and split the pot. For nine offenders to take this kind of risk, the payoff must be worth it.
Here’s the clip, and a reminder that the rise of illicit vapes isn’t just a regulatory problem. It’s fueling organized theft, fast-moving resale markets, and new investigative challenges for cops on the ground.
